People begin smoking cigarettes for a variety of reasons. Smoking has been portrayed as being heroic, cool and as enhancing sexual appeal. For some people, smoking also serves to soothe tension, anxiety, or loneliness. However, as is commonly known, cigarette smoke contains the addictive compound nicotine. Addiction to nicotine makes it very difficult for smokers to stop smoking cigarettes, even though many realize that smoking will adversely affect their health.
The serious negative health effects of smoking are generally caused by chemicals in tobacco smoke other than nicotine. Among these are polynuclear aromatic compounds, which are carcinogens suspected to cause or contribute to a variety of cancers. The formation of polynuclear aromatic compounds in cigarette smoke is the result of incomplete combustion of the cigarette due to short burning resident time. Furthermore, polynuclear aromatic compounds harm not only smokers, but also the surrounding environment and people who inhale them as second-hand smoke. Furthermore, tobacco smoke also contains cyanide, a highly toxic compound which causes adverse health effects in smokers and those inhaling second-hand smoke.
The tobacco industry has attempted to alleviate the problems caused by polynuclear aromatics and cyanide by incorporating filters into cigarettes to remove these compounds when a smoker inhales. These filters are typically made of cellulose-based materials. The filters are effective in removing some of the toxic chemicals from tobacco smoke, but a substantial amount still passes through the filter. Consequently, there exists a need for improved filters for cigarettes and other tobacco products which are more efficacious in removing toxic and carcinogenic chemicals from tobacco smoke. Moreover, to encourage use of such a filter, the filter should not interfere with those aspects of smoking which smokers desire, including the taste and nicotine content of the smoke.